Fortress Of Good Fortune

Wow, Biden dropped out of the race and endorses Kamala! I still think it'll be a wide-open convention. First time since '68 that a sitting President declines to run.

Amazing how six decades have passed since JFK's murder. That's well over half a century.

Those who weren't around during the days of JFK as President can't begin to understand the excitement and optimism of the New Frontier years. So brief, 1961-1963, two months short of three years. People believed thay could solve problems, maybe finally defeat poverty, make equality more than a pipe dream.

It didn't mean that life was perfect. People worried about nuclear war, and their fears almost came true in October 1962, but the world survived and JFK, having stared down into the nuclear abyss, started to think about thawing the Cold War. He did have plans to pull us out of Vietnam, bringing the advisors sent to teach the South Vietnamese home. For years people had said, "We don't know what he was thinking about Vietnam" but NSM-263, a National Security memo, clearly stated withdrawal of 1,000 troops by the end of 1963, complete withdrawal by 1965. That order was quietly reversed after his death. Instead American forces were built up to half a million in '65 by LBJ.

Was Oswald the lone gunman? Did he have help? Did he shoot at all from the Texas School Depository? I speculated on this here. Too many weird occurrences.

Another interesting tidbit: two women watching the motorcade from an upper-floor window in the Depository went downstairs immediately after the shooting. They neither saw nor heard Oswald running down from the sixth floor in order to get to the lunchroom where his supervisor and a Dallas motorcycle cop woukd find him seconds later. Oswald would have had to pass the women to get there in time as no elevators were working that day.

Ruth and Michael Paine, who had taken in Marina Oswald and her kids after her separation from Lee, were CIA. Ruth had gotten LHO the job at the Texas School Book Depository. Michael worked at Bell Helicopter, the company that would make millions during the Vietnam War.

The Secret Service detail in Texas went out drinking the night before, consuming white lightning at a Fort Worth club called The Cellar. Needless to say, their reflexes were terrible the next day. Not that they would have risked their lives for JFK at any rate. They hated him because he was a 'n'-lover', according to them (overheard by the first African-American agent, Abraham Bolden, assigned to the White House detail, handpicked by JFK).

On Friday, November 22, 1963, people were looking forward to the weekend, and Thanksgiving the following week. It was a good Friday with lots of promise until the news came from Dallas. And then on Sunday, November 24, 1963, the world got to watch TV's first live murder as Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald in the basement of the Dallas Police Department, surrounded by hundreds of Dallas cops. Madness!

Who Benefited From JFK's Death?

So while you're in the midst of Thanksgiving preparations this Wednesday, take a moment to ponder what might have been.

Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1573410.html

Happy Fourth Of July to my fellow Americans! :)

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Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1566870.html

Wow, it's been 59 years since that day in Dallas, when the world changed and the powerful won.

To think that more than one generation has been born and raised since that fateful day. Where once there was hope, now there is cynicism. Where once there was optimism, now there is pessimism. Where once there was JFK in the White House, now there is Joe Biden (and before him, the Orange One).

People not around back then can't understand the optimism of a fresh new decade with new challenges and a belief that we could solve our problems. Americans were enjoying a historic prosperity, which has pretty much faded away by now with the middle class disappearing and the mega-rich becoming even more obscenely wealthy. Americans knew that life could be rough, unfair and frustrating, but they believed in their country and trusted their Government. Compare all that to today.

JFK was not perfect. World's Worst Husband, but a good father and great President. Fought in World War II, led his survivinng men to safety after the PT-109 was cut in half by a Japanese destroyer, and is the only President to have received the Purple Heart. He could have done better pushing his legislative program through Congress, but navigated shaky waters in October 1962 and his efforts resulted in the world not blowing up. That accomplishment alone is a winner. Whew!

A pity people only remember him these days for his womanizing and the horrific way he died.

RIP, Mr. President.

Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1545351.html

Last night before I went to bed I looked out the window and it was snowing! SO pretty! More than a dusting but hard-pressed to call it an inch. Rain today has already washed away most of it, bit sure looked beautiful and no roads were impacted.

Speaking of snow (jobs), I see the Orange One has announced his run for the Presidency in 2024. The only drawback to him losing in the last election was his eligibility to run again. This guy just won't go away! You know, the Repubs passed the two-term limit for President after Dem FDR had won 4 terms. Can we use Trumpy to implement a one-term limit RIGHT NOW?

If he wins, should the Dems accuse the election of being rigged? Storm the Capitol? Whine, cry, and throw temper tantrums? lunch against the wall for others to clean up? All done by Cadet Bone Spurs.

Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1544724.html

Recently I was researching music for some historical fic and found some goodies. I heard these songs years ago (hey, I watch a lot of classic Hollywood movies) and enjoyed hearing them again.

The first one is a cute kids' song released in 1939, Three Little Fishies, by Kay Kyser. Adults who enjoy cute lyrics and a catchy beat can enjoy this, too:



Next we have a nonsense song from 1941 (The Hut-Sut Song) that was a big hit, and just goes to show you that every generation has its silliness. ;) This version is from Freddy Martin and his Orchestra:



Finally, the top hit of 1943 was Pistol-Packin' Mama, a favorite of American G.I.s in both the European and Pacific theaters of war. This version is from Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters:



Crossposts: https://bradygirl-12.livejournal.com/1533662.html

Happy Fourth of July!

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Today is the 72nd anniversary of the start of the Korean War.

Let's remember the Forgotten War.

RIP, JFK

May 29, 1917-November 22, 1963

Today is the 56th anniversary of the Great Northeast Black-Out! Misptogramming in a Queenston, Ontario power plant near Niagara Falls set off a series of relays that affected the entire Northeast power grid. Oh, and some people claim seeing a flying saucer hovering over the Niagara Falls power plant just before the black-out. ;)

The northeast blackout of 1965 was a significant disruption in the supply of electricity on Tuesday, November 9, 1965, affecting parts of Ontario in Canada and Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont in the United States.

Wikipedia gives a good explanation of the cause.

Darkness everywhere! People relied on transistor radios to give them the news. As eerie as The Twilight Zone episode, The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street. ;)